Happy Bit-day! You may not have noticed, but this week, Bitcoin celebrated its tenth birthday.

On January 3, 2009, the initial block in the blockchain - that's crypto-speak for a distributed computer ledger - was "mined" by Satoshi Nakamoto and cryptocurrency was born in the form of Bitcoin.

The enigmatic Satoshi is either an individual or a group. Whichever is the case, he/she/they melded cryptography and computer science to create the world's first totally digital currency.

What an eventful first decade Bitcoin has endured - or enjoyed, depending on your perspective.

Cryptocash platforms of almost every kind have seen wild surges and drops in value since they first came to public attention.

Bitcoin is recognised by the US Senate but is not tied to any hard currency, such as the dollar or the gold standard. This arguably made investment in Bitcoin something of a faith-quest...
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››Latest social comment by Mal Fletcher- posted on Thursday 3 January 2019

Social Comment - Press, Media, New Media

Mal Fletcher is a respected social commentator and social futurist who has been a media commentator and presenter for more than 25 years. He is often called upon for expert views on social issues for TV, radio, the press and web media in various parts of the world.

As a social futurist, he and the 2020Plus research team track major social shifts. Mal writes, lectures and broadcasts about their likely future impact on business, organisations and the wider society.

Mal Fletcher's work features on BBC Breakfast TV, Sky News, BBC World News, BBC Radio (e.g. Radio 5Live & regional stations), ABC Australia and many other media and press outlets in various parts of the world.His work has featured in such publications as the Sydney Morning Herald, Melbourne Age, Guardian Online, Sunday Times (Ireland) and more. His social comment editorials are regularly reproduced in several online news and discussion magazines.

Selected samples from Mal's TV (mainly BBC) work are available here, here and here. Radio interviews are available here. Other videos are available here. (More samples below.)Mal Fletcher's latest book, Fascinating Times is a social commentary. It takes a sharp-eyed look at some of the major social issues of our time and their likely impact on the future of how we live.